Eyeglass or



No. 624,603. Patented May 9, 18199. W. ZOERB & A. BECKER.

EYEGLASS 0R SPECTACLE CASE.

(Application filed July 30, 1896.)

(No Modal.)

MTHEEEEE THE NORRIS PETERS co" PHUTCL-LITHO, WASHINGTON, 0v 0,

' NITED STAT S PATENT OFFICE.

. WILLIAM ZOERB, or DEDHAM, AND AUGUST BECKER, oE WINTHROP, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO ELIZABETH ZOERB, or DEDHAM, MASSAcHUsETTS.

EYEGLASS OR SPECTACLE CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters I'atent No. 624,603, dated May 9, 1899. Application filed July 30, 1896- Serial No. 601,060. (No model.)

To 60% whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM ZOERB, residing in Dedham, in the county of Norfolk, and AUGUsT BECKER, residing in Winthrop, in the county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, citizens of the United States, have invented a new and useful ImprovementinEyeglass or Spectacle Cases, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cases made for holding spectacles or eyeglasses and adapted to be carried in the pocket, and particularly to that style of case which consists of two rigid members or lids hinged together and adapted to be secured in closed position'by means of an internal locking device and capable of being unlocked by more or less forcibly separating said lids.

The invention has for its object to con struct an eyeglass or Spectacle casewith an internal locking device for the parts or lids thereof, whereby said lids may be closed together and locked notwithstanding any slight variation in their relative positions, which may be due to said lids working slightly on their hinged connection, such variation usually increasing as the case is worn.

The invention consists in a case composed of two lids hinged together at one side and an internal fastening for holding said lids clgsed, comprising a socket on the inside of one lid, which projects inwardly and is provided with an elongated receiving-opening, and a post on the inside of the other lid, which also projects inwardly and is adapted to enter the opening of said socket at diiferent points, ac-

cording to the relative positions of said lids;

also, in a case composed of two lids hinged together at one side and an internal fastening for holding said lids closed, comprising two cooperating parts or members secured, respectivel y, to said lids at their inner faces at points substantially midway their length and width, one of said parts consisting of a socket having an elongated receivin g-openin g extending transversely to the lid and arranged at right angles to the axis of thehinge and the other consisting of a post having a head which e11- ters said receiving-opening at the center or at difierent points at either Side of the center, according to the relative positions of the lids; and the-invention also consists in a spectaclecase consisting of two oblong lids hinged together at one side and an interior fastening for holding said lids closed, comprising two co operating parts or members secured,-respectively, to the interior faces of Said lids, one of said parts consisting of a spring-socket having an elongated receiving=opening extending transversely to the lid at right angles to the axis of the hinge and the other part consisting of a post havinga head which enters said socket at different points, according to the relative positions of the lids.

Figure l is a perspective view of an eyeglass or spectacle case embodying our inven* tion in an open position. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal vertical section of the same in a closed position. Fig. 3 is a similar section showing a modification.

A represents the fiat leaf or lid, and B the concave leaf or lid, the two being hinged together at a in any usual or suitable manner.

The leaf or lid B is provided centrally upon its inner side with a spring-socket,which consists of a piece of flat metal bent to present feet 0, which are secured at O to the body B of the lid, inside of the lining B, and also to present apair of loop-like jaws D, which are projected into the case and which are separated a short distance apart to present a receiving-opening E, which is herein shown as somewhat enlarged at E by turning in the 7 to the inside of the lid and, as herein shown, is so disposed relatively to the lid that said elongated space or elongated opening extends transversely across the lid at right angles to the axis of the hinge. V

The leaf or lid A is provided centrally on body A of the lid and covered by the lining A, and said flat metal piece is also bent to present a loop-like tongue or post K, the outer When the case is closed, the headed post is forced into the spring-socket, thus lockin g the case, and to unlock the case the lids are forcibly separated. The spring action of the looking device is not strong, and so no great exertion is required to separate said lids, yet it is strong enough to hold the lids from voluntarily opening. The headed post is made long enough to not only enter but to bottom in the spring-socket, and in such case the bottom of said socket, hereinbefore referred to as the bearing portion, forms an abutment to prevent the lids from being crushed in. The receiving-opening of the spring-socket being elongated, as shown and described,the headed post is free to enter and fasten therein at different points to accommodate the lids, which may have moved slightly relative to each other, such a movement being common in nearly all cases that have been in use a short time, even though the hinged connection may have been constructed in the best possible manner, and the bearing portion being likewise elongated provides an abutment at the different points for the headed post.

In the modification shown at Fig. 3 a solid headed post is shown instead of one formed of a fiat strip of metal, which serves as an equivalent therefor. It will be seen'that by providing an internal locking device for the case, the cooperating parts or members of which may be attached to the inner faces of equivalent material ,may be used as well as 1 leather, and,furthermore,we find that the par- 1 .ticular spring-socket herein shown is easily and cheaply manufactured and presents both the abutment required as well as a parallelsided elongated receiving-opening; but it is l obvious that said abutment may be otherwise provided.

Believing ourselves to be the first to coni struct an eyeglass or spectacle case having. two lids hinged together and provided with an internal locking device one of the oooperatf ing parts or members of which has an elongated receiving-opening for the other part, i whereby said parts may be brought into locking engagement notwithstanding slight va-; riations in the relative positions of the lids, I

we desire to broadly claim such a device.

We claim 1. An eyeglass or spectacle case consistlng .of two lids hinged together at one side, an internal spring-fastening for holding said lids closed comprising a socket on one lid having an elongated receiving-opening, disposed at right angles to the axis of the hinge, and a post on the other lid, adapted to enter the opening of said socket at difierent points, substantially as described.

2. A spectacle or eyeglass case consisting of two members hingedly connected, one of which is provided with a block embodying an elongated recess or socket disposed at right angles to the axis of the hinge of the case, and the other of which is provided with a projection adapted to enter said socket or TGCGSS.

3. An eyeglass or spectacle case consisting of two lids hinged together at one side, an internal fastening for holding said lids closed comprising a socket on one lid projecting inwardly and having an elongated receivingopening and also having an elongated bearing portion and a post on the other lid also projecting inwardly which is adapted to enter the opening of said socket at different points according to the relative positions of said lids and to bear upon different portions of said bearing portion, substantially as described.

4. An eyeglass or spectacle case consisting of two members hingedly connected, one of which is provided with a pair of spring-arms vertically erected and arranged at right angles to the axis of the hinge of the case'and at such distances apart as to be adapted to guide or'center a pair of spectacles or eyeglasses placed within the case, and the other of which is provided with a projection arranged to enter the opening between the arms at different points of the width of the latter, substantially as described.

5. An eyeglass or spectacle case consisting of two members hingedly connected, one of which is provided with a pair of verticallydisposed spring-arms having their upper ends turned inward toward each other and which are disposed at right angles to the axis of the hinge of the case, a tongue on the other member, adapted to be forced between said inturned ends, and formed as a pear-shaped loop of sheet metal provided with feet, substantially as described.

6. An eyeglass or spectacle case consisting of two shells hingedly connected, a block or projection mounted in one of said shells, and consisting of a pair of verticallydisposed spring-arms having inturned upper ends and connected byabearing portion,and presenting an elongated receiving-opening, and a tongue carried by the other of said shells, and adapted to be forced between said inturned ends and against said bearing portion, substantially as described.

7. An eyeglass or spectacle case consisting of two members hingedly connected, one of which is provided with a pair of verticallypear-shaped loop of sheet metal provided with feet, substantially as described;

WILLIAM ZOERB.-

disposed spring-armshavingtheir upper ends l AUGUST BECKER. 5 turned inward toward each other, a tongue on the other member, adapted to'be forced between said inturned ends, and formed as a Witnesses:

HENRY W. WILLIAMS, A. N. BONNEY. 

